A comparative analysis of EU and US trade preferences for the LDCs and AGOA beneficiaries

In light of the much praised US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), this study compares EU and US preferential trade policies towards the least developed countries (LDCs) under the EU Everything but Arms (EBA) initiative and the countries covered by the US AGOA. The descriptive analysis examines and compares product coverage, diversification of imports, share and value of preferential imports and preference utilisation rates. The empirical analysis, conducted in a gravity setting, compares the relative trade creating effects of the EU and US schemes. Excluding mineral fuels, it finds that EU preferential trade policies generate about twice as much trade as do corresponding US policies.